Fastener and hinge for coffins



(No Model.)

L. L. FLETCHER. FASTENER AND HINGE FOR oorrms, BOXES, &c.

No. 557,602. Patented Apr. 7 1896.

Nrrnn STATES ATENT FFICE= LEVI L. PLETOI'IER, OF MOCONNELSVILLE, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO II. A. DAVIS AND .I. F. DAVIS, OF MALTA, OHIO.

FASTENER AND HINGE FOR COFFINS, BOXES, &.0.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 557,602, dated April 7', 1896.

Application filed December 15, 1894. Serial No. 531,964. (No model.)

1'0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Lnvi L. FLETCHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Me- Oonnelsville, in the county of Morgan and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Fastener and Hinge for Coffins, Boxes, &c., of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fasteners and hinges for cofiins, boxes, &c.; and it has for its object to provide a new and useful combined fastener and hinge of a reversible type which provides means for hinging or teinpo rarily fastening either edge of a coffin, door, box-lid, or other swinging object.

To this end the invention contemplates a construction of reversible hinge that will act in the capacity of a combined hinge and catch for any swinging object in connection with which hinges are employed.

With these and other objects in view, which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a combined hinge and catch constructed in accordance with this invention, showing the hinge leaves or members open. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the hinge leaves or members closed. Fig. 3 is adetail in perspective of the hinge leaf or member, in which is mounted the turning hook-stud. Fig. 4: is a similar view of the hinge leaf or member having the pintlebar. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the upper part of a box and its lid or cover, showing the hinge connections with the opposite edges of the lid or cover, one edge of which is shown as hinged and the other as free to be raised and lowered.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1 designates a hinge leaf or member essentially consisting of a fiat attaching-plate 2 provided with suitably-arranged screw holes 3 to receive screws or othersuitable fasteners for securing the plate 2 to the upper edge of a box X or other suitable object. The atboth sides of the slot & and at the outer end thereof the attaching-plate 2 is further provided with a pair of upwardly-disposed bearin g-l ugs 0, that are provided with inner curved bearin g edges 7, and said bearin g-lu gs are disposed at one side of the turning hook-stud 8.

The turninghook-stud Sis arranged to turn loosely in the circular bearing-opening 5 of the plate 2 and is provided at its upper end with an oifstandinghook 9, that is adapted to be turned to a position directly opposite the slot 4 and between the lugs (i, and also to be turned to a position at one side of the said slot and away from said lugs, as will be readily apparent. The said hook-stud Sis projected through the bearing-opening 5 from one side of a base-flange 10 that works under the lower side of the plate 2, which is secured on the upper edge of the box X, and formed in the said base-flange and the lower end of the stud S is a spring-socket 11, that receives a spring 12, which bears on the upper edge of the box or other object X to hold the basefiange against the plate 2, and therefore to hold the hook end of the catch-stud properly projected beyond one side of the plate 2. The base-flange 10 is provided with an integral oifstanding lever-arm 13 provided at'its outer end with a finger-piece ll and at an intermediate point with an offset portion 15, that works beyond the lugs 0 and is adapted to engage against one edge of the plate 2 at one side of said lugs to provide for limiting the movement of said lever-arm, whereby the hook 9 of the stud 8 may be positively moved to a proper position. The other or second hinge leaf or member 17 essentially consists of a fiat attaching-plate 18, that is adapted to be secured to one edge of the box-lid Y or other swinging object, and said plate 18 is provided therein with an enlarged catch slot or opening 19, one side of which is inclosed by the rounded pintle-bar 20 formed integrally with the plate 18 and provided at a central point with a stop-lug 21, that is adapted to work within the slot l of the hinge leaf or member 1 between the bearing-lugs 6. 7

As plainly illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings, when it is desired for one edge of a boxlid or other swinging object to swing on the hinge the pintle-bar 20 of the hinge leaf or member 17 will work or turn on the inner curved bearing edges 7 of the lugs 6, and in this position it is simply necessary to turn the lever-arm 13 in a direction that will carry the hook 9 over the said pintle-bar 20 and thereby provide a bearing for said pintle-bar between said hook and the lugs 6, while at the same time preventing the two hinge leaves or members from becoming disconnected, and in this use of the hinge the enlarged slot or opening 19 of the hinge leaf or member 17 receives the hook-stud S as the hinge leaf or member 17 swings up and down. When it is desired to release the hinge leaf or member 17 from the hinge leaf or member 1 in order that the hinged edge of the box-lid or other moving object may be free to be moved as desired, the lever-arm 13 is turned so as to disengage the hook 9 from the pintle-bar 20, and it will of course be understood that when the hinge leaves or members are connected together, as described, the lug 21 of the hinge leaf or member 17 will work within the slot 4: and will strike against one side of the hook-stud 8 to provide for limiting the swing or movement of the hinge leaf or member 17.

In using the herein-described hinge it will be understood, as illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings, that opposite edges of the box-lid or other swinging object are provided with the hinges, so that either edge of such lid or other object may be hinged ortemporarily fastened, as desired.

Changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. In a hinge, the combination of the hinge leaf or member provided in one edge with a slot, a pair of spaced open curved bearinglugs located at opposite sides and the outer end of said slot, and a circular bearing-opening formed at the inner end of said slot, the

other hinge leaf or member consisting of a plate provided with an enlarged slot or opening, a pintle-bar at one side of said slot or opening, and a stop-lug projected from one side of the pintle-bar and adapted to work between the bearing-lugs and in the slot of the other hinge leaf or member, and a handoperated rotary hook-stud mounted to turn in the bearing-opening of one hinge leaf or member and provided at one end with a hook adapted to be detachably turned into engagement with the said pintle-bar, substantially as set forth.

2. In a hinge, the combination of the hinge leaf or member consisting of an attachingplate provided in one edge with a slot, a pair of spaced open curved bearing-lugs located at opposite sides and the outer end of said slot, and a circular bearing-opening formed at the inner end of said slot, the other hinge leaf or member consisting of an attachingplate provided with an enlarged slot or opening, a rounded pintle-bar at one side of said slot or opening, and a stop-lug projected centrally from one side of said pintle-bar and adapted to work in the slot of the other hinge leaf or member, a rotary hook-stud mounted to turn in the bearing-openin g of one hinge leaf or member and provided at one end with an offstanding hook adapted to be detachably turned into engagement with said pintle-ba-r at a point between the bearing-lugs to detachably secure the bar at one side of said bearing-lugs, a swinging lever-arm working at one side of one of the hinge leaves or members and connected with one end of said hookstud, and a spring suitably arranged at one end of said hook-stud to hold the same within the bearing-opening therefor, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LEVI L. FLETCHER. lVitnesses GEORGE S. CORNER, SOPHIE TRAVIS. 

